It's fashionable for even the biggest rock stars to go acoustic when the mood calls for it, but there are precious few performers able to inhabit such intimate space with natural ease. That's what Linda Thompson does on Versatile Heart, the studio follow-up to her 2002 comeback album, Fashionably Late. That's a long time between albums, but maybe that's the time it takes to put all the details in place on a collection so wistful and lovely. Thompson, for the uninitiated, is a folk singer of the highest degree.

Linda Thompson, Fashionably Late (Rounder): One thing's for certain: The first album in 17 years from the esteemed British folk singer-songwriter won't be picking up nominations as party record of the year. But then, this is folk music in the time-honored troubadour tradition, one where happy endings are the exception, not the rule. Love withers, eludes or dies, sometimes mysteriously, sometimes tragically, seemingly always for reasons beyond the control or comprehension of the hapless humans at the center of these tales.

GARY WEBSTER BIXBY, 44, Lundeen Way, Orlando, died Monday, June 8. Mr. Bixby was a draftsman. Born in Salem, Ohio, he moved to Central Florida in 1967. He attended Metrowest Church of the Nazarene. He was an Army veteran and a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Survivors: sons, Gary Benjamin, Gerald, Robert, all of Illinois; daughter, Tanya, Illinois; sisters, Linda Thompson, East Palestine, Ohio, Dianne McGlasson, St. Louis, Janice King, Orlando. Woodlawn Funeral Home, Orlando.

MR. SIMMONS, Uvalda, Ga., died Friday, Oct. 22, from injuries sustained in an automobile accident. He was a roofer. Born in Eustis, he moved to Uvalda from Umatilla in 1992. He was a member of the Church of God. Survivors: son, Clarence, Uvalda; daughter, Melinda, Uvalda; stepdaughter, Lisa Gay, Hazelhurst, Ga.; sister, Linda Thompson, Hazelhurst; mother, Ollie Mae, Uvalda; paternal grandmother, Liza, Umatilla. Banks Funeral Home, Wildwood.

GEORGE VIOLETTE, 66, Palm Springs Drive, Altamonte Springs, died Thursday. Born in St. Quentin, Canada, he moved to Altamonte Springs from Long Island, N.Y., in 1969. He was a retired accountant for Seminole County. He was a member of St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church. He was an Army veteran of World War II. Survivors: wife, Josephine; sons, George Michael, Enfield, Conn., Gerald, Sarasota; daughters, Linda Thompson, Winter Park, Patricia Marie Craig, Indian Harbour Beach, Lorraine Moskos, Longwood; brothers, Pete, Bertram, Roger, Laurant, Fernand, all of Quebec; sisters, Rose Gagnon, Olive Gagnon, Jeannine, all of Quebec; nine grandchildren.

Linda Thompson, Fashionably Late (Rounder): One thing's for certain: The first album in 17 years from the esteemed British folk singer-songwriter won't be picking up nominations as party record of the year. But then, this is folk music in the time-honored troubadour tradition, one where happy endings are the exception, not the rule. Love withers, eludes or dies, sometimes mysteriously, sometimes tragically, seemingly always for reasons beyond the control or comprehension of the hapless humans at the center of these tales.

Various artists, Evangeline Made: A Tribute to Cajun Music (Vanguard): In the stress and complexity of modern life, there's always room for music that feels cleansing and unspoiled, which is most certainly why many of the pop fans who loved the Buena Vista Social Club album also found much to enjoy in O Brother, Where Art Thou? The music may have been from Cuba and Nashville, respectively, but there's a common sense of emotional purity in the two collections. The motherland in the case of Evangeline Made is southwest Louisiana, where Cajun music has asserted its liberating zest for more than two centuries, thanks to its distinctive mix of lively, accordion-and-fiddle instrumental seasoning and spirited, French-language vocals.

It's fashionable for even the biggest rock stars to go acoustic when the mood calls for it, but there are precious few performers able to inhabit such intimate space with natural ease. That's what Linda Thompson does on Versatile Heart, the studio follow-up to her 2002 comeback album, Fashionably Late. That's a long time between albums, but maybe that's the time it takes to put all the details in place on a collection so wistful and lovely. Thompson, for the uninitiated, is a folk singer of the highest degree.

Various artists, Evangeline Made: A Tribute to Cajun Music (Vanguard): In the stress and complexity of modern life, there's always room for music that feels cleansing and unspoiled, which is most certainly why many of the pop fans who loved the Buena Vista Social Club album also found much to enjoy in O Brother, Where Art Thou? The music may have been from Cuba and Nashville, respectively, but there's a common sense of emotional purity in the two collections. The motherland in the case of Evangeline Made is southwest Louisiana, where Cajun music has asserted its liberating zest for more than two centuries, thanks to its distinctive mix of lively, accordion-and-fiddle instrumental seasoning and spirited, French-language vocals.

MR. SIMMONS, Uvalda, Ga., died Friday, Oct. 22, from injuries sustained in an automobile accident. He was a roofer. Born in Eustis, he moved to Uvalda from Umatilla in 1992. He was a member of the Church of God. Survivors: son, Clarence, Uvalda; daughter, Melinda, Uvalda; stepdaughter, Lisa Gay, Hazelhurst, Ga.; sister, Linda Thompson, Hazelhurst; mother, Ollie Mae, Uvalda; paternal grandmother, Liza, Umatilla. Banks Funeral Home, Wildwood.

GARY WEBSTER BIXBY, 44, Lundeen Way, Orlando, died Monday, June 8. Mr. Bixby was a draftsman. Born in Salem, Ohio, he moved to Central Florida in 1967. He attended Metrowest Church of the Nazarene. He was an Army veteran and a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Survivors: sons, Gary Benjamin, Gerald, Robert, all of Illinois; daughter, Tanya, Illinois; sisters, Linda Thompson, East Palestine, Ohio, Dianne McGlasson, St. Louis, Janice King, Orlando. Woodlawn Funeral Home, Orlando.

GEORGE VIOLETTE, 66, Palm Springs Drive, Altamonte Springs, died Thursday. Born in St. Quentin, Canada, he moved to Altamonte Springs from Long Island, N.Y., in 1969. He was a retired accountant for Seminole County. He was a member of St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church. He was an Army veteran of World War II. Survivors: wife, Josephine; sons, George Michael, Enfield, Conn., Gerald, Sarasota; daughters, Linda Thompson, Winter Park, Patricia Marie Craig, Indian Harbour Beach, Lorraine Moskos, Longwood; brothers, Pete, Bertram, Roger, Laurant, Fernand, all of Quebec; sisters, Rose Gagnon, Olive Gagnon, Jeannine, all of Quebec; nine grandchildren.

To a lot of aspiring singers, success is a ''Wild-Eyed Dream.'' For Nashville newcomer Ricky Van Shelton, it's also the title of his first album and its first single.Two years ago, Shelton -- former pipefitter, appliance store manager, car salesman, construction worker, house painter and grocery store clerk -- moved to Music City from his native Virginia.His girlfriend (now his wife) had been offered a job as a personnel executive at a Nashville business -- and the two figured this was the time to make a move at his music career as well.